About Us
Throughout our journeys, we were lucky to have mentors who invested in us, whether it was through mentorship, providing access to research opportunities or making us aware of fellowship opportunities. We believe that everyone deserves to have someone who can push forward potential and guide him/her along the way.
We strive to provide a platform where everyone—regardless of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability or immigration status—has equal access to fellowship and scholarship opportunities, and the chance to learn from their peers to becoming successful STEM professionals and other related fields.
Mission Statement: Cientifico Latino, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization that aims to promote an environment of inclusivity in STEM and increase the number of scientists from minoritized backgrounds in higher education in the sciences through mentorship, open-access resources, and professional development opportunities.
Our Initiatives
To help spread information about relevant opportunities in STEM through practical professional development workshops for college and high school students.
Create equal access opportunities that provide critical support needed to succeed in STEM through public databases.
Preparing underrepresented students to navigate the STEM graduate school application process.
Supporting diverse graduate students through their first year in graduate school via mentorship, professional development, and community events.
Our Team
Please use the following dropdown menu below to filter based on department/program.
Wendy C. Aquino Nunez, M.S.
She/Her/Hers
Alumni, Recruitment Lead
Department:
GSEC, Team Alumni
Wendy is a Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology Ph.D. candidate at the University of Kansas studying tau aggregation in-vivo using C. elegans. Born in The Dominican Republic, Wendy moved to Puerto Rico as a teen where she attended high school and later pursued a bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus. After undergrad, Wendy moved to Georgia where she participated in the NIH Bridges to Doctorate Program at Kennesaw State University and completed a master's degree in Integrative Biology. At the start of her Ph.D., Wendy was awarded the University Fellowship and later became an NIH T32- Dynamics Aspects of Chemical Biology grant, fellow. Throughout her career, Wendy has remained passionate about science and creating an inclusive environment for minorities.
Yessica Santana Agreda
She/Her/Hers
Alumni, Fellowship Reviewer
Department:
GSMI, Team Alumni
Yessica Santana Agreda is a Neuroscience Ph.D. Candidate at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) studying cell fate determination using the mammalian retina as a model system. Yessica is originally from Los Angeles, CA, and completed a Bachelor's Degree in Global Studies at UC Santa Barbara in 2017. During undergrad, she began research in educational psychology developing coding and online organic chemistry curricula, and then pivoted to cognitive neuroscience where she trained as an fMRI technician to study neural correlates of human behavior. Yessica went on to complete her first post-bacc in Neurobiology at the University of Pittsburgh studying retino-cortical circuitry and her second neuroscience post-bacc at OHSU. Being a first-generation Guatemalan-Mexican American, Yessica is passionate about creating equity in science research and creating the skillset to maximize one's graduate training.